LIFE SAFETY AND/OR CONSERVATION RETROFIT MEASURES

General

When a building permit is issued by the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS), certain retrofit measure(s) may be required to improve the life safety and/or water conservation of the building. Refer to the table below to determine which life safety and/or water conservation retrofit measure(s) are required based on the valuation of the work and the type of building being repaired. Details for each retrofit measure are given below.

Total e-Permit Valuation	Life Safety or Conservation Retrofit Measure	Building Type Description
		House or Duplex	Condo-minium	Apart-ment	Com-mercial
> $500	Water Conservation Devices	YES	NO	NO	NO
Security Bars	Smoke Detectors	YES*	YES*	YES*	NO
> $1,000	Smoke Detectors	YES*	YES*	YES*	NO
> $3,000	Impact Hazard Glazing	NO	NO	YES	NO
> $10,000	Impact Hazard Glazing	YES	YES	$3K	NO
> $10,000	Seismic Gas Shut-off Valve	YES	YES	YES	YES
> $10,000	Security Illumination and locks	NO	NO	YES	NO

NOTE:

YES	=	Life safety or conservation measure applies to the "Valuation"/"Building Type Description" combination.
YES*	=	Life safety or conservation measure applies to the "Valuation"/"Building Type Description" combination. However, per Sections 91.8603.1.1 and 91.8603.2.2 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code, all existing buildings with 2 or more dwelling units shall have smoke detectors permanently wired to the building wiring. Therefore, the building should already comply with the "Smoke Detector" life safety retrofit measure.
NO	=	Life safety or conservation measure applies to the Valuation/Building Type Description combination.

Water Conservation Devices

Per Section 122.03 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC), when building permit with a valuation of over $500 is issued for a one or two family dwelling, the building shall be retrofitted with shower and toilet water conservation devices. All existing showers shall be retrofitted with a low-flow showerhead with a maximum flow rate of 3 gallons per minute and must meet the 1987 Appliance Efficiency Standard of the California Administration Code, Title 20. All existing toilets shall be retrofitted with flushometer valves or other flush-reduction devices which flush the toilet with a maximum of 3.5 gallons of water. Be advised that per Ordinance 172,075, all residential properties sold in the City of Los Angeles must have ultra-low flush toilets installed prior to the close of escrow. An ultra-low flush toilet must be capable of flushing with a maximum of 1.6 gallons of water. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) has a toilet rebate program for qualifying ultra-low flush toilets approved by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO). Details of the DWP toilet rebate program can be obtained from DWP at (800) 544-4498. If existing toilet(s) are replaced, a separate plumbing permit is required. However, for the "House" or "Duplex" building type description, the "Bathroom remodel" type of work with the "replacing plumbing fixtures" item selected can be combined with a maximum of three additional type(s) of work to comply with the "separate plumbing permit" requirement mentioned above.

Smoke Detectors

Per Section 91.8603.2 of the Los Angeles Building Code (LABC), when a building permit for the installation of security bars or a building permit with a valuation of over $1000 is issued for a one-family dwelling, the building must be retrofitted with smoke detectors. Smoke detectors may be battery operated and shall be mounted as required by Section 91.310.9.1.4 of the LABC as indicated below:

Section 91.310.9.1.4. Location within dwelling units. In dwelling units, a detector shall be installed in each sleeping room at a point centrally located in the corridor or area giving access to each separate sleeping area. When the dwelling unit has more than one story and in dwellings with basements, a detector shall be installed on each story and in the basement. In dwelling units where a story or basement is split into two or more levels, the smoke detector shall be installed on the upper level, except that when the lower level contains a sleeping area, a detector shall be installed on each level. When sleeping rooms are on an upper level, the detector shall be placed at the ceiling of the upper level in close proximity to the stairway. In dwelling units where the ceiling height of a room open to the hallway serving the bedrooms exceeds that of the hallway by 24 inches or more, smoke detectors shall be installed in the hallway and in the adjacent room. Detectors shall sound an alarm audible in all sleeping areas of the dwelling unit in which they are located.

Per Sections 91.8603.1.1 and 91.8603.2.2 of the LAMC, all existing buildings with 2 or more dwelling units shall have smoke detectors permanently wired to the building wiring. Therefore, these types of buildings should already comply with the "Smoke Detector" life safety retrofit measure.

Impact Hazard Glazing

Per Section 91.2406.7 of the LABC, when a building permit is issued with a valuation of $3,000 or more for an apartment or when a building permit is issued with a valuation of $10,000 or more for a house, duplex, or condominium, certain glazing elements within the building must be replaced or retrofitted with approved impact hazard glazing material. Per Section 91.2406.7.1 of the LABC, prior to final inspection, the owner shall replace or retrofit the applicable glazing elements or demonstrate that the existing applicable glazing elements comply with the impact hazard glazing requirements of Sections 2406.1, 2406.2 and 2406.3 of the LABC. Applicable glazing elements are the sliding glass panel of sliding-type doors (other than wardrobe doors) and bathroom shower doors and French-type wooden doors in the residential portion of the building. An LADBS approved film can be installed on the glass of the applicable glazing elements to comply with the provisions of this requirement. Click here to search for approved film products and use the words "impact hazard glazing" to conduct the search.

Seismic Gas Shut-off Valve

Per Ordinance 171,874, when a building permit is issued with a valuation of $10,000 or more for a commercial or residential building containing fuel gas piping, the building shall be protected by an LADBS approved "Seismic Gas Shut-off Valve". This valve must be capable of shutting off the supply of natural gas to the building during an earthquake with a magnitude of approximately 5.4 or higher on the Richter Scale. The required seismic gas shut-off valve can be installed before the gas meter by the Southern California Gas Company (SCGC) and no permit is required from LADBS. Contact SCGC for details. The required seismic gas shut-off valve can also be installed after the gas meter by a qualified installer and a separate plumbing permit issued by LADBS is required. However, for a house or duplex, any building permit with a valuation of $10,000 or more issued by the Electronic Permit System will authorize the installation of the valve by a qualified installer without a separate plumbing permit or separate fee being required. Click here to search for approved seismic gas shut-off valve products and use the words "seismic gas" to conduct the search.

Security Illumination and Locks

Per Ordinance 177,858, when a building permit is issued with a valuation of $10,000 or more for an apartment building, the building must be retrofitted with security illumination and locking devices. Exterior parking areas, parking garages, recreation or service rooms, and exterior doors located in security openings shall be provided with lights that provide a minimum surface illumination of 0.2 foot candles measured at the floor level. An incandescent light bulb (minimum 60-watts) at a maximum height of 8 ft. above the floor satisfies this requirement at exterior doors. All lights used to illuminate the parking areas shall be designed, located and arranged so as to reflect the light away from any street and any adjacent premises except existing apartment houses where lighting affects adjacent residential properties and not brighter than 2-foot candles or if brighter than 2-foot candles and effecting residential properties shall be activated by motion sensors for a period not to exceed 20-minutes. All openings in exterior walls and less than 16 ft. above any adjoining grade or landing shall comply with lock requirements per Chapter 67 of the LABC.